Our Life So Far
by raccoonqueentwo
Summary: Sequel to "My Mother, My Hero". Life has returned to normal for the Simpson children after the custody battle. They grow up, marry, and have families of their own. But what happens when an old enemy from the past threatens the safety and stability of their town?


**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: _Hey, everyone. This here's the sequel to "My Mother, My Hero", a Simpsons fic a friend of mine did on DeviantArt; it chronicles the lives of the Simpson children and their new family after the events of the story. If you wanna know what happened, check out the link to the first chapter of "My Mother, My Hero", which you can find on my profile page. Be forewarned, though, it involves child abuse in the very beginning._

_I've put a lot of work into coming up with the sequel. Progress might be slow due to writer's block and real-life issues, but I promise you it'll be worth the effort. Enjoy!_

**DISCLAIMER**:_ I do not own The Simpsons, its characters, places, e.t.c. Only the OCs belong to me._

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Once upon a time, years ago, a tragic event happened in Springfield. Three young children-Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson-had suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their parents. This was what they had to put up with all these years, until their next-door neighbor came in to rescue them that very night. And that woman was none other than Ruth Powers.

Now in the custody of Ruth and her new husband, the children's lives had changed for the better. Following the arrest (and eventual death) of Mr. Burns, the new family have since gained possession of everything that he owned in his lifetime, including his manor and his summer house. It was a good thing they had decided to move into the mansion; with its numerous rooms, there would be plenty of room for future family members. Even Burns' old pet vulture and his attack dogs took a liking to their new owners.

When Ruth took charge of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, she made a few changes to its policy that brought its workers both delight and relief. Inspired by her adopted daughter's eco-activist values, she made sure most of the lakes and rivers of the city were completely purified, free of the nuclear waste that has since polluted them under Burns' rule. Ruth treated her employees kind and fairly, and was willing to address any problems or issues they had concerning their jobs; unlike the previous boss, she wasn't cynical or cruel, and she never bothered to send the dogs after the employees (although, of course, she prefers they attack burglars).

Now seven years had passed since the big custody battle that shook the town. After having graduated from Springfield Elementary and moving on through middle school and then to high school, seventeen-year-old Bart Lynch hadn't expected to run into one of his sister's old classmates. Rebecca "Becky" Hayden, the girl who has had a crush on him since 1st Grade, was the first person to greet him on his first day at Springfield High School.

"Bart!" she exclaimed. "Long time no see!"

Bart replied nervously, "Becky! I-I, uh, I didn't see you...here...w-what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was on my way to class when I saw you coming this way. You?"

"I just got started."

To tell the truth, Bart really hadn't seen much of Becky over the past two years. While a bit miffed that he still didn't recognize her true feelings for him, she felt sorry for him concerning what his birthfather had done; the marks on his neck where he had been repeatedly strangled were completely gone, as were the psychological wounds, but the haunting memory was still there. The few things Becky noticed about him was, physically, he looked different with the glasses on. Only in Springfield would you see a bad boy officially become a nerd...or so she thought.

He told her everything that had happened, from the night his adoptive mother saved him from being strangled to death by his birthfather to the final day of the custody battle. He told her about Burns' mansion, and how he and his family inherited it, alongside most of his posessions. Becky, of course, had once seen the Krusty Show's episode where Bart and his siblings informed the audience about child abuse. She was thankful her own father never did anything to hurt her or her baby brother, yet her situation was far worse. Both of her parents divorced not long after the Simpson children were officially adopted; while her mother had gained permanent custody of the kids and the house they lived in, her father had the family car and moved to Shelbyville. Mrs. Hayden had to work extra hours at her job in order to buy a brand-new car, as well as payments to all the electricity, water, and gas bills. Those two years were particularly rough on Becky and Max, but the time passed between near-poverty to average middle-class wealth proved that they have gotten emotionally and financially stronger since then.

It was only her unconditional love for Bart that enabled her willpower to survive the tragedy. After she had told him her side of the story, she waited to see if he wanted to know how she really felt about him. She had begun to say "I love you" when the school bell suddenly rang.

"Welp, I'm late for my class," said Bart, looking at his watch. "We'll talk later. See ya!"

Just as he started sprinting down the hall, Becky called out after him. "Are you going to be a doctor when you grow up?"

Bart blinked. How in the world did she know? He answered shyly, "Well...yes...I will..."

With that, he turned to leave. As soon as he was gone, Becky fist-pumped and whispered "YES!" before heading to her class. The candle wax was right; her future husband _will _be a doctor someday!

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><p><em>And that's it for Chapter 1. I will probably update this sometime in the near future. For now, I'll take a break and then move on to writing and publishing Chapter 2, soooo...bring on the reviews! I'd like to see your thoughts on the sequel. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but any flames directed towards me will be used to light up fire to keep my house warm and toasty. See ya!<em>


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